Nine in ten Brits want military action against Islamic State militants

Nine in ten Brits want military action against Islamic State militants

ALMOST 90 per cent of Brits want Cameron to take military action against Islamic State, according to a new poll.

Published: 18:01, Tue, August 26, 2014

Most Brits support action in Iraq, where British jihadis have gone to fight with militants [REUTERS/AP]

An exclusive poll carried out by express.co.uk found that the vast majority of the population felt we should be doing more to ease the crisis in Iraq.

Nearly 50 per cent said that they believed Britain should join America in launching targeted air strikes against Islamic militants.

And a further 40 per cent said that the UK should go further, sending troops in on the ground to tackle the threat from extremists.

The remaining 10 per cent of the 1,500 people surveyed said that we should continue to send aid to victims of the conflict, but avoid military action.

The results of the survey come as Nick Clegg rejected calls for tougher measures to combat the threat posed by British jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria.

Boris Johnson has said he hopes the reportedly English jihadist who beheaded an American journalist James Foley would be killed in a bomb attack and joined the growing calls for Britons fighting abroad to be stripped of their citizenship.

Writing in his Daily Telegraph column, Mr Johnson said: "Young men such as this killer are famously told that if they die in 'battle' they will be welcomed in heaven by the sexual ministrations of 72 virgins.

"Many of them believe it - even though scholars have suggested that the reference to 'black-eyed virgins' is in fact a promise of 72 raisins. I suspect most of us don't give a monkey's what happens to this prat in heaven, whether he meets virgins or raisins - we just want someone to come along with a bunker buster and effect an introduction as fast as possible."

Nick Clegg has rejected calls for tougher measures on jihadis returning from Syria and Iraq [PA]

However,Mr Clegg said today: "I think the issue is incredibly important, that we should make sure that those young men, and it is invariably young men, who are attracted to this hateful ideology that draws them to the bloodshed and conflict in places like Syria and Iraq, they shouldn't be able to come back and do harm on the streets of British towns, villages and cities, and that is now our number one priority.

"It's what the police, the authorities and security services are working flat out on; I have huge confidence in the outstanding work they do.

"With the greatest respect to Boris Johnson, I will listen to what they tell me they need rather than what he says.

"We actually have a number of measures already on the statute book which allow us to keep a very close eye on those people who aren't in prison, aren't sentenced, but nonetheless are perceived to be a threat to the United Kingdom.

"And of course, we will continue to review all the powers on the recommendation of the police and security services that may be deemed to be necessary to deal with this very serious issue."